Rishi Sunak Announces UK General Election

BASW's Political Affairs Lead, Kerri Prince provides reaction to the General Election being announced.

Westminster

It will have been 1666 days since the last General Election when voters cast their votes on 4th July 2024. 

Over the next six weeks before election day, voters will be thinking about these 1666 days and what this Government has achieved in that time. Did they do a good job? Do they deserve another term? Is it time for a change? 

On 22nd May, Rishi Sunak stood outside Downing Street in the pouring rain and told the country he was calling a General Election. Many people speculated May, many others thought Autumn. Some were adamant the election would be in January 2025 at the last possible minute. But very few people expected the election to be just weeks before the summer holidays in England.

So why has Rishi called the election now? There is no clear answer to that – only he and the people closest to him will know the real reason. But what we do know is that this election is an important one. There are many contentious issues in public policy at the moment. From Rwanda deportation to cuts to disability benefits, voters will be casting their votes with varying policies in mind. 

Public opinion polls seem to indicate that the outcome is likely to be a Labour Government, but opinion polls aren’t always correct. A lot can happen in six weeks. Keir Starmer shouldn’t be measuring the curtains in Number 10 just yet.

Over the next six weeks BASW will be covering what is happening in the election. We’ll do analysis of the party manifestos. We’ll ‘Promote the Vote’, remind you to register to vote, and highlight important deadlines. We’ll tell you how you can best contact your candidates and the best things to say to them. Some key deadlines already known are:

  • Register to vote: Tuesday 18 June at 23.59
  • Applying for a Voter ID: Wednesday 26 June at 17:00
  • Applying for a Postal Vote: Wednesday 19 June at 17.00
  • Applying for a Proxy Vote: Wednesday 26 June at 17.00

Visit and follow BASW's election hub for all the latest information and what you need to know for the upcoming election. You can also read BASW's Manifesto to see what we're asking MPs to deliver in the next parliament.

So…is it time for a change? That’s for the voters to decide, but BASW does believe that it’s time to get it right.